A few years ago, Emma Mullins and her three children ran out of money. They had nothing to eat. They were facing eviction.

Mullins, who is now 42, could not find a job. And so she was forced into a stark decision. “It was a choice between selling myself or my children eating,” she said. “I couldn’t see them starve, so I chose to sell myself.”

On Thursday morning, Mullins was at Tomorrow’s Women Wirral, a women’s group in Birkenhead, discussing the financial pressures that forced her into prostitution. If her local MP Frank Field is correct, she is far from the only woman in the area facing such a choice. This week, he made the startling claim that “universal credit is driving women into prostitution”.

In a to and fro with the work and pensions secretary, Esther McVey, he warned that women in his constituency were taking “to the red light district for the first time” as they were being pushed into poverty because of the new benefits system.

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For Mullins, the pressures were not just universal credit but the benefits system as a whole. But she says she is aware of others who have been forced into sex work because of problems with the new benefits system.

Mullins, who says she previously turned to crime to feed her three girls, was forced into the stark choice when she was facing eviction.

“We had just been made homeless and we had nothing, no food, nothing. I still feel angry when I think about it now that I had to degrade myself – but it was either that or see my children starve. I would do it again if I had to, but I hope I’m never in that situation again,” she said.

Mullins started claiming benefits 18 years ago when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour following the birth of her youngest daughter, Amber. In the intervening years, there have been many changes to the benefits system and she says there is suffering each time.

“You just about get your head around one way of doing things and then it changes again. It’s desperate,” she said.

“A lot of people start out on universal credit owing money because of all the delays and they never catch up – they end up in this cycle that they just can’t get out of – so they do something for easy money. And, yes, for some that means selling themselves. There will be more of them doing that now because of universal credit. It’s made things so difficult.”

McVey told Field in the House of Commons to remind the women that “there are now record job opportunities” in the UK.

“It’s not that easy,” says Mullins. “There is a stepping stone to get work. There is that time where you won’t be getting any money, while you are waiting for your first paycheck. We can’t do that. We need money weekly just to survive. So, for some people, getting a job is not that simple.”

Field’s startling claim was made as the government comes under repeated attack for the disastrous rollout of universal credit with its architect, Iain Duncan Smith, controversially demanding the Treasury urgently inject another £2bn into the flawed system.

Field said he felt compelled to write to McVey last week after police and women’s charities in his constituency became increasingly concerned about the benefit’s impact on women.

He told the Guardian: “If I told people a few years ago that this was happening they would have thought I was off my rocker. I’m still struggling to comprehend it. Women often come to us in tears, they say the benefits system has got worse and they have very little choice.”

In parliament, McVey, who last week admitted that families would be worse off under the new system, said “my door is always open to him [Field] … but really, we need to work with those ladies and see what help we can give them from the work coaches right the way through to the various charities and organisations.

“In the meantime, I might add, perhaps he could tell these ladies, and the work coaches can, that we’ve now got record job vacancies – 830,000 job vacancies – and perhaps there are now other jobs on offer.”

Her suggestion follows reports that two in five universal credit claimants will lose £52 a week under the benefit. It has been rolled out in a few areas, but full implementation is due next year.

Field visited Tomorrow’s Women Wirral a few weeks ago. Its executive director, Angela Murphy, says she is glad he raised the issue in parliament. During the visit, she spoke to him about concerns from women she met during an outreach project with Merseyside police.

“One of the women that I spoke to had not been out [to do sex work] for years and universal credit forced her hand to go out again,” she said. “I understand what Esther McVey is saying about there being jobs but these women are not job ready. A lot needs to change for them before they can even think about getting a job – these are people who are living hand to mouth. It’s just survival.”